(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video content viewing apparatus using metadata to achieve all kinds of functions for users to watch video contents.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Most TV sets nowadays not only allow viewers to watch broadcast programs, but also enable the viewers to extract (or search) important scenes from a program or to search for a wanted program according to a keyword they inputted. There have been the following suggestions regarding the technique.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-165650 relates to the management of collateral information (metadata), which is achieved by adding an item that shows whether each item in the metadata of each content is corrected, so as to indicate a contrivance for decision of correction propriety of metadata of contents and to manage each of various items in the metadata of the contents on an item-to-item basis.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-152692 relates to a technique for obtaining information on a product associated with a broadcast program. According to the disclosed technique, a website address on the Internet of an advertiser who supplies product(s) or service(s) that viewers might be interested in when watching a broadcast program is transmitted as associated information simultaneously with a broadcast, so the viewers can easily obtain information associated with any subject in which they are interested.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-158726 relates to a technique for providing information associated with a broadcast program using the Internet. According to the disclosed technique, viewers receive information for specifying a service area along with the channel number and the date of broadcast, so they can easily acquire the information relevant to a broadcast program independent of the service area.